Acculturation and psychological well-being among immigrant adolescents in Finland: A comparative study of adolescents from different cultural backgrounds

This study investigated the effects of acculturation on the psychological w ell-being of immigrant adolescents. The respondents were 11 to 20 years old , originally from the former Soviet Union, Turkey, Somalia, and Vietnam, an d now living in Finland (N = 588). To gain an understanding of the complexi ty and specificity of the relationship between acculturation and psychologi cal well-being, a large range of existing psychological well-being scales m easuring acculturative stress, behavioral problems, self-esteem, life satis faction and sense of mastery were used as dependent variables. Most indices of psychological well-being were clearly and negatively related to perceiv ed discrimination, and some of them were also positively related to second- language proficiency In addition, the adolescents' experiences of parental support and adherence to traditional family-related values promoted their p sychological well-being. However the impact of this adherence was found to depend on both the specific aspect of well-being measured and the specific family-related values in question.